Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes 'holding on by the skin of our teeth'
Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton says his Mercedes team are just about hanging on to Formula 1's front-runners but is hopeful they can compete soon.
Mercedes have taken pole for the last two grands prix but are struggling with excessive rear tyre usage in races.
Hamilton said: "I feel like we're holding on by the skin of our teeth.
"The guys at the factory need to keep pushing because we're not that far off and if we can just make that next step we can close the gap with them."
Mercedes have made huge steps forward after ending last season struggling even to score points.
Hamilton was on pole and finished third in China earlier this month, while team-mate Nico Rosberg qualified fastest in Bahrain at the weekend, too.
But in the race on Sunday, Rosberg slipped back to finish ninth, having to make four pit stops for fresh tyres when most leading runners made only three.
Hamilton struggled in the early stages of the race after starting ninth because of a five-place grid penalty, but came alive in the second half of the race and finished fifth.
He is third in the championship after the first four races, 27 points behind leader Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, who is 10 ahead of Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen.
Hamilton is three points ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who won in China and would be second overall had it not been for team errors in both Malaysia and Bahrain.
Although the Mercedes is competitive in qualifying, Red Bull, Lotus and Ferrari are comfortably the fastest cars in the race, with Mercedes at the head of the next group which includes Force India and McLaren.
Hamilton said: "I'm very proud of what the team have done getting the car turned around to where we are already. I feel very fortunate to be where we are points-wise and finishing-wise but of course we need to keep pushing."
Mercedes have suffered problems with rear tyre usage since 2010 and Rosberg said the team were focusing on trying to solve them.
"The great thing is we have a great car," Rosberg said. "We just need to sort out these tyre issues, which is easier said than done.
"It is a massive mission and it is the same for everyone. Some people are doing a better job so we are pushing hard for that."
Team principal Ross Brawn added: "This is an issue we have to address and we will continue working on solutions to improve our performance in this area."
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Why is it Benson hasn't written a post stating how wrong he was about LH move to Mercedes?
Anyways keep up Hamilton, who would have thought you would be 3rd in the championship at this stage, definitely no the BBC lol
As for the hater and there is a lot of them all i can say is; LOOOOOOOL
Its Max Chilton not mark. Either you really don't watch F1 or are really ignorant. Everything you just said was nonsense.
15 Minutes ago
Again, why on earth is Lewis making headlines without his girlfriend I doubt any common man know him
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Im sure most people would know the name of the current top British driver
Hamilton has done brilliantly to get through Mercedes' toughest race of the year with 5th. Good job, and you can only see the Mercedes becoming more and more competitive.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Be patient Lewis, the wins are surely not far around the corner.
Just so you know, if the laughing fit you just induced had caused a hernia (I was worried), I would have sought legal advice against you.
The last thing you can call Hamilton is "cocky", he's as humble as anyone in F1 and not someone who wants or needs a helping hand. Plus his brilliant tyre management in Bahrain took him four places higher than a teammate who started on Pole
You sound very childish, and he actually lives in Monte Carlo so get your facts right.
Most live there because of tax, weather etc so stop your whining.
Other British drivers Coulthard, Di Resta, Button, never get flack but there's a common denominator
Hamilton did more than enough to win up to 3 WDCs. Rookie inexperience and McL blunders cost him by just a point in 2007 and an unreliable car and repeated McL blunders cost him the WDC in 2012. Such is F1. Drivers are reliable on their teams and so the drivers don't always get what they deserve. Unless you're SV who has done enough for only 2 WDCs but has 3 thanks to Red Bull
Downforce, balance, etc. MS was out of touch and NR never felt that before. This is the best F1 car NR ever drove, but LH has driven better. He knows what to expect.
The Merc needs to get the car faster for the first stint when it is full of gas like the RB.
Bitter, twisted, sad individuals. I guess none of you will every know what it feels like to be "happy" !!!! Muppets.
That might be true if he lived in Switzerland, but he doesn't. :)